Ecclesiastes...Pastor Phil Strong

Part 27

11-6-11                                       

Text: Matthew 7:13-27                                    

According to the overwhelming body of work by Jesus, Paul and the other NT writers, the coming judgment will be in keeping with the quality of the life lived which is the truest indicator of the condition of their heart.

2 Corinthians 5:10:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.”

…as well as 2 Corinthians 13:5-9

“Examine (for the purpose of ascertaining proof) yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test (scrutinize: see whether a thing is genuine) yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?”

He’s not calling for some neurotic introspection which leaves us always feeling as if we can never be sure, but for a serious reflection on our professions of faith and its effects on the actual way that we conduct ourselves.

Otherwise, it’s like a team who is “0-8” and their coach suggests that they are “actually better than their record indicates”. No you’re not!

● Those offerings were never meant as a statement concerning the “security” of your faith, but the viability of your faith. Not, “Can you lose it?”, but what is the present condition of it and the dissonance and uncertainty it causes when you fail to see your faith-professions having very little identifiable and reproducible characteristics.

● I imagine that the reaction of the original recipients was much like some of the reactions that I encountered from you: an inner-disturbance which, at the very least, was cause for some healthy introspection.

Interestingly, both Paul and Peter seemed to conclude that times of intense faith-struggle were no times to offer any sloppy-sentiment: the context demanded clarity and conviction. Otherwise, you would be subject to ‘cultural-suggestion.’

They were both writing predominantly to those in unfavorable conditions, and still chose to challenge them as to how their professed trust in Jesus was actually forming and informing their lives. The kind of society they were developing amongst ‘unbelievers’ (1 Peter 2:12).

● I thought of Paul’s to the Corinthians when he had to deliver what he considered to be a ‘painful’ letter: what it produced, versus what could have been the outcome.

            “I’m glad that the letter caused you some discomfort”, Paul would say (2 Corinthians 7).

● The purpose of his letter was not simply chastisement or to arouse a response, because if delivered with such manipulative motivations, it would certainly prove counter-productive. The purpose was “repentance”.

Godly sorrow is a transformational emotion.

It is able to both feel the depth of the hurt caused (God and other offended parties) and to help create another relational path- toward God and each other. It always results in repentance (a turning from and turning to).

Understand, my desire is not to undermine grace, but neither is it to presume upon it.

To be clear, Paul does not mean: 1) grace isn’t really free… God functions on kind of a ‘quid-pro-quo’ system. Nor does he mean that, 2) faith is simply some private feeling, profession or experience which has nothing to do with the way that you actually live your life.

But, it’s always hard for us to hear that God expects something of us without that morphing into some distorted and unhealthy emphasis on good works alone.

Christianity is a “prophetic” faith, in that it always seeks to ‘engage’ rather than ‘escape’ the prevailing culture.

Prophetic faith requires (2) movements:                               1) reception--- where through persistent interaction with God our identity is shaped and our affections are transformed, and 2) replication--- our faith becomes incarnational (takes on flesh) and restorative.

The significance of the reception moment is only to be realized in the replication movement.

(e.g. Moses ascends Mt. Sinai and returns with the Law; Jesus ascends the Mt. of Transfiguration only to return to embody the restorative message of the Kingdom to a disorderly world).

● In each circumstance, the prophetic (spokesperson or representative) involvement is for the express purpose of bringing God’s desires to bear right where they live.

If we fail in the reception movement, we develop a faith that is being formed by ‘second-hand’ information; God becomes a ‘friend of a friend’ (“Oh, I know him through…”)

● If we fail in the replication movement, faith becomes nothing less than a PED (performance enhancer) which augments our own self-directed pursuits; it becomes “speechless” in the real world.

If our identity as Christians matters, then so does difference/distinctiveness.

Difference matters because the gospel itself is about difference… something good, something new. But not distinctiveness for the sake of segregation, but for the sake of recognition.

1 Peter 3:15-16 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (the inference here?)

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “You, yourselves, are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone…”

            Witnessing is about being “readable”. It’s much more about what people see than what they hear, especially in a culture that is so jaded and skeptical.

[1 Thessalonians 1:8, 3, 9]

The life lived well (Christianly) is the only irrefutable evidence that we have to offer a world that is yet to believe (obedient participation).

Arguments can be refuted; the miraculous can be dismissed as religious ‘slight-of-hand’; but, the beauty of the life lived well is both attractive and remarkable.

● I haven’t come across a single person in my life who was sincerely searching for meaning in life beyond themselves who wasn’t willing to overlook the occasional inconsistency in my life as part of my own process of growth.

            But, I have met plenty of people who have all but dismissed God altogether because of the habitual absence of any recognizable evidence of faith, or the loveless expressions of faith that somehow confused righteousness with simply ‘being right’. These are the ones you often hear say, “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual”.

● It’s why incarnation is the best means of revelation. It’s why God chose this means when attempting to help eliminate much of the ambiguity about who he was and offer us a more realistic image. It’s why we as Christ-followers should offer nothing less--- God with us, God for us!

If our lives are “coming together” (integrating belief and lifestyle), if we are people of integrity, others will be able to look to us to see God; if not, they’ll simply look past us and dismiss him because of us.

I want people to discover Christ because of me, not in spite of me.